Warriors guard Klay Thompson will still be rehabbing his torn ACL well into the 2019-2020 season.
After going down in Game 6 in last year’s NBA Finals, the five-time All Star was diagnosed with an ACL tear. The injury would have been season-ending even if it did not happen on what ended up being the last game of the season.
Klay Thompson directly after the ACL injury in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The timing of the injury means he will be out for most of the NBA season. In the offseason, it was reported he could miss time up until the All Star break in February. The timeline seems to be right on, as Warriors GM Bob Myers stated on Monday.
Only 26 of the 82 regular season games follow the break. So, best case scenario, Thompson plays in all of those games. Until he returns, however, the Warriors lineup will look completely different. They have retained Steph Curry and Draymond Green, but lost Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. Take away Thompson and add newly acquired D’Angelo Russell, and Golden State has some chemistry building to do.
Thompson in 2018 had 21.5 points per game, the second highest total of his career. He also shot 46.7 percent from distance, and shot over 50 percent from two-point range. A powerhouse in and of himself, pairing him with another one of the best shooters of all time, Curry, is maybe the biggest reason Golden State has been to five straight NBA Finals, winning three.
The Golden State Warriors will begin their season, without Klay, on October 24 against who could end up being the NBA Finals favorites, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Featured Image courtesy of Kelley L. Cox/USA TODAY Sports
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